Picture profiles for stills and dynamic range question

[detlef]

Hello again, last question at the moment

 

What are the best settings for stills, using RAW, to get the best possible image quality and dynamic range.

 

Does it make sense to use slog2@3200 ISO (i know it's not usable out of cam) or better don't use a PP@100 ISO? Or something else?

 

A7S.

 

Kindly regards

[zenzei]

Hi,

 

For stills, best possible settings are:

 

1/

ISO 100 -- maximum DR

Shot mode "S" - as continuous mode lowers from 14 bit to 12 bits

Silent shooting off - it also lowers 14 bit to 12 bits

If you bracket, if possible dont use the continuous bracketing as it lowers also to 12 bits... it really is a shame, as bracketing is done to improve DR, but its implementation in this camera is unfortunate (in practice, when I need it, I do, bracketing 3-5 x with +-2EV will give you plenty of DR even in continuous mode)

Raw, uncompressed

If shooting high-speed (e.g. 1/2000) and fast lenses (e.g. f/1.4), turn the electronic first curtain EFCS off. (Else, keep it on, as it reduces shutter vibration)

 

Picture Profile and the other stuff does not make a difference to the raw file, as long as you shoot iso100. iirc, the slog2 curve limits you to minimum iso800, so dont use it.

 

2/ What you might want to use PP or the different modes is to make sure that when you expose, you do ETTR (expose to the right) but without clipping highlights on any channel (red, green, blue)

In that regard, you can use zebra 100+ to see overblown areas ... but because the zebra is based on the jpg preview, you want that preview to be as flat as possible. The simplest way is using a flat picture mode with lowered contrast and saturation. Some people also say that you can expose just to remove the zebras, and then expose up to +2/3 as you have some extra leeway on the RAW file vs. the jpg preview. I usually to +1/3 over a flat mode.

 

3/ Optionally you can use a white balance that is RGB neutral (viewfinder will look greenish...) - short path is to use a temperature of about 3700K and +7/+7 tints on the channel (it should already look greenish). If you want to go all the way, you can try to use UniWB (look elsewhere how to do it), but honestly, for me that is overkill (just bracket a couple of shots if unsure)

 

I usually use 1 and 2, and very rarely 3 (only in very high constrast green-dominated areas to make sure I don't overblow the green channel)

 

Other stuff - focus properly (DMF is very nice), if on a good tripod check wheter you want to turn the IBIS off, use proper shutter speeds, know your lenses sweet points (and whether they make sense with your shooting stile), etc....

 

This is for the A7R2, but applies also to the A7S as far as I know.

 

Hope this helps

[Bghead8che]

Excellent post Zenzei! 

 

Fortunately we don't have to guess as someone did the work for us!

 

 

According to the author the best option is to set the profile to Neutral with -3 contrast and use the histogram.  He says blinkies and zebras are nearly useless for shooting RAW and using ETTR.  I actually went out shooting landscapes yesterday fully planning to use ETTR and this method.   I found that the practical application of this method is difficult to implement in the real world due to the small, hard to read, histogram. I ended up blowing out some highlights. 

 

Perhaps a more practical approach would be to use Zenzeil's suggestion.   Set your profile to Neutral and -3, turn on zebras (100 IRE), set your exposure to just get rid of zebras and then add 1/3-2/3's a stop.  This would be a very easy approach to maximize DR and minimize noise.  Once the blinkies are gone simply use the exposure compensation dial to dial in +1/3 of a stop.  I doubt you would lose much DR compared to solely using the histogram and then adding 2/3 stop as suggested in the video.  Zenzei, you agree?  Zebras are much easier to see than a small line smashed up against the right hand side of a diminutive histogram display!

 

So what’s the best method for bracketing with the a7R II?  I assume the best way is to manually take 3-5 bracketed shots using a remote trigger?  Or is there enough inherit DR in a bracketed 12-bit burst?  For maximum dynamic range what bracketed approach have you been using Zenzei?

[Soo-v8]

very interesting, hopefully sony comes out with a flat picture profile like nikon has on my d810, it does help a lot when doing sunsets and you can see more in the shadows you can pull back in post. don't see why continuous shooting would lower you too 12bit from 14bit seems silly, i shell test this out cause i like continuous shooting for stags and bulls.